Maas named Dispatch supervisor

Dodge County Emergency Management director Matt Maas has undertaken an added position as Public Safety Answering Point (911 Dispatch Center) director in a merging of the two departments.

Maas, Emergency Management director since 2009, replaces Mike Burton, who left the PSAP position after about 10 years to work in radio programming with the Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office.

“I’m very excited about it,” he said. “It’s already a great department. They’re doing a great job. I have a lot to learn, and hopefully can support them the way they need to be supported. I’ve always tied in very closely to Dispatch. We work real close together. It’s a perfect fit.” 

“He’s going to do great,” Sheriff Scott Rose said. “Matt and I have known each other since before I was in law enforcement, before he was an emergency management director. I know what he’s capable of. He’s going to bring some great leadership to that department, and he’ll do a phenomenal job.”

Rose said his office reviewed its options on how to reorganize the dispatch center following Burton’s departure, and how to best manage responsibilities.   

“We were in a unique position here in the Sheriff’s Office, having an Emergency Management Director who has not only been directly involved in many of our procedures and policies developed for dispatch, he is also experienced as a 911 emergency dispatcher,” he said. “In addition, he has a great deal of interest in the day-to-day management and operations of our dispatch center, as they work events together with Emergency Management. Because of this, we discussed in detail the possibility of his EM position absorbing some of the dispatch supervisor responsibilities and how we could manage this. After several meetings with our administration, county administration, county human relations, and county finance, we determined the merger of the two positions was the best option moving forward.”

Maas also serves as a lead instructor with SE MN Hostile Event Response training, developing curriculum, scheduling classes and core instructors across the area, and offers hands-on instruction for public safety responders. 

He also has served 10 years as Dodge Center’s assistant fire chief.

He will be assisted in Dispatch by Erin Wanek, who was promoted to lead dispatcher - a position which replaces Burton’s job as Dispatch supervisor.

She will take on some dispatch responsibilities and help Maas with some of his Emergency Management responsibilities.

Rose said Wanek’s flexible schedule will allow Maas to use the position to fill some dispatcher vacancies on the schedule. Her Lead Dispatcher position will be guaranteed 32 hours per week, with the option to fill more hours in case there are dispatch hours to fill.  

She has 15 years of dispatching experience with Rice/Steele County, the Rochester Police Department, and the Minnesota State Patrol. She has worked six years in Dodge County.

“One of the biggest advantages of this plan for our office is having someone internally like Matt Maas and Erin Wanek taking on these responsibilities - employees who are already very familiar with our office, our staff, and all of our policies and procedures,” Rose said. “We believe this will allow for a much smoother transition and training period than if we were to post externally for a replacement.

“We are excited about the future of this department within the Sheriff’s Office,” he said. “While we certainly hate to lose Mike Burton, we believe this new department merger under Matt Maas’s leadership will prove to be a very positive move for this department, our public safety partners, and the citizens we serve.”

Dodge County’s Dispatch Center dispatches 911 calls and non-emergency calls for emergency services. It provides radio-dispatching services for the Sheriff's Office; the Kasson and West Concord police departments; Dodge Center, Hayfield and West Concord ambulance services; and the county’s six fire departments. 

It also assists and communicates with the Minnesota State Patrol, Mayo One, Public Works, and Department of Natural Resources field personnel.